1. Field of the Invention
This field relates to touch gestures on a mobile device.
2. Related Art
Some mobile devices, such as cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable navigation devices (PNDs) and handheld game consoles, include touch screens. These devices accept input by detecting movements of fingers or other objects in contact with their touch screen. These movements are known as touch gestures. Upon detection of a touch gesture, the mobile device, or an application stored thereon, may execute an action. For example, upon detection of a pinch touch gesture, a web browsing application may zoom into a web page.
Some mobile applications execute analogous actions in response to analogous touch gestures. For example, the web browsing application in the IPHONE mobile device, available from Apple, Inc., zooms out of a web page when a user pinches her fingers together and zooms into a web page when a user moves her fingers apart. However, these gestures cannot generally be configured by a user.
Mobile devices generally include lock screens to prevent unauthorized or unintentional access to the device. Mobile devices running the ANDROID operating system, available from Google Inc., enable a user to define a touch pattern gesture to unlock a touch screen. This feature, known as pattern unlock, enables a user to define a gesture for authentication purposes.
Systems and methods are needed that enable users to define more easily a broader range of touch gestures.